Halloween is the most wonderful time of the year, or so the saying goes. And for many DMi'ers, the fall holiday brings with it the magical ritual of binging horror movies. From the classic frights to the new scares, spending October nights watching thrillers in the dark is an annual routine that dates back to our trick-or-treating days. And 2020 is no different.

DMi has a long history of ringing in the harvest holiday with some spook-tacular films. Beginning in 2012, a group of DMi'ers would gather at the office on Saturdays and watch five movies back-to-back while enjoying some pumpkin beers and pizza. Each year featured a new theme which allowed us to showcase a number of horror sub-genres. Notable films of the past included Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, and The Strangers.

This year we were met with new challenges. With everything going on in 2020, we were forced to reinvent the tradition into a remote bonding experience. So, we decided to watch one movie for every week in October and discusss what made us jump out of our skin over Zoom. This year’s theme was Recent Classics.

Here is the ghoulish list of spooky Recent Classics we watched this year:

Week 1: A Quiet Place(2018) A chilling survivalist tale of a family that must stay silent to evade unknown, lurking monsters. The DMi group spent considerable time debating if it was a spinoff of The Office Universe. But the consensus was…we LOVED A Quiet Place

Week 2: Babadook(2014) Unsettling story of a widowed mother, her troubled son, and an ominous children’s book character. The group agreed that the primary takeaway was obviously that reading books makes everything worse. That aside, Babadook was fantastic - All thumbs upx

Week 3: Quarantine(2008) Unnerving found-footage movie about a group of strangers trapped inside an apartment complex while and unknown plague is taking them down one by one. The DMi'ers were initially concerned that this movie might touch a nerve given the current state of affairs, but ultimately, we all agreed we were pleasantly surprised to learn so much about rabies(SPOILER ALERT!!!) The group enjoyed Quarantine, a definitive found-footage classic.

Week 4: It Follows(2014) Haunting film about a group of teenagers trying to outrun a slow-moving, persistent terror that is following them. The group found no flaws with the movie, only with the Academy for not awarding it an Oscar for best movie, ever. Seriously, if you haven’t seen It Follows, please do.

Week 5: The Blair Witch Project(1999) A movie that needs no introduction. We decided to end this year with a certified classic from the turn of the century. Never satisfied with the superficial meaning of a film, the DMi group debated, analyzed, and concluded that the movie was really an allegory about not trusting people who hang out in the corners of rooms. No surprises here. This is a must watch!

Although, the movie club wasn’t the same as in years past, we had a great time watching and discussing the movies over Zoom. Don’t forget to check out some of these scary flicks and have a safe and fun Halloween 2020!